“Violence against women and their children has been estimated to cost the Australian economy $13.6 billion in 2008-2009, and by the period 2021-2022, the cost is projected to be $15.6 billion. It is very good news that the NSW Government is taking decisive action on this issue,” said Redfern Legal Centre CEO, Joanna Shulman.
Redfern Legal Centre commends the development of domestic violence list days, whereby domestic violence matters including criminal charges and applications for Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders will be listed on a specific day. This will help to standardise procedure and ensure there is better coordination and communication between services at court.
“The development of domestic violence list days is a means to reducing re-offending, promoting consistency of outcomes and improving the ongoing safety of victims,” said RLC’s Sydney Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service (Sydney WDVCAS) Coordinator, Susan Smith.
The strategy includes the provision of specialist domestic violence training for police prosecutors and magistrates. “It is vital that police prosecutors and magistrates have an understanding of victim safety and defendant accountability as well as key theories that inform an understanding of domestic and family violence and the role of gender. We are very pleased to see that specialist training is a key part of the new strategy,” Ms Smith said.
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The Sydney WDVCAS is a service provided by RLC and is funded by Legal Aid NSW through the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service Program. The Sydney WDVCAS operates at the Downing Centre (central Sydney), Balmain, Newtown and Waverley Local Courts.
